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Buffalo Bills: Week 1 Preview!

Can Darby step up? Photo from profootballspot.com

Finally! After nine LONG months, Buffalo Bills football is back! It’s been a roller coaster for Bills fans since the end of last season. The Bills who will take the field in just three days will look very different than the Bills of last year. Fortunately, Doug Marrone bailed and opened the door for the hiring of Rex Ryan, quite possibly the best defensive mind in football. I think that was well worth a $4 million buyout by the way of Terry and Kim. Our entire offense has been retooled – no, not “Jeff Tuel-ed” – from the QBs down. Tyrod Taylor is the new starting QB, and he’s backed up by Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel. Running backs are now headed up by LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams, and the Bills have added Percy Harvin and Charles Clay to the mix in the passing game. Eric Wood and Cordy Glenn are the only starters to return on the offensive line. The defense was able to stay relatively intact. The Bills parted ways with Kiko Alonso via the trade for McCoy, and we lost safety Da’Norris Searcy to free agency. Leodis McKelvin is injured, so a lot will fall to rookie Ronald Darby – who has had a very rocky preseason. So what can we expect to see Sunday?

As the great Mr. T once said: Pain. The Bills have been sack masters the past two years. The defense finished 2nd overall last year – Seattle was first – and look to build on that. There is plenty of room for improvement against the run as they finished 12th overall, but with a defense basically fully intact going into its third year, expectations are high. Marcel Dareus received a monster contract extension today despite being suspended the first game of the season and having a history of minor infractions. It’s a great move by Bills brass to shore up the NFL’s best defensive line, but I’m worried the pay day may impact his motivation. We now have two 100 Million dollar men on the defensive line, a luxury afforded to a team with no franchise QB.

Dareus needs a monster season to match his monster contract.Generated by IJG JPEG Library

On the offensive side of the ball, you can expect big plays. The Colts have a very questionable front seven, which the Bills running game should be able to exploit. The Colts may opt to game plan for the run, leaving the passing game wide open to Tyrod and the dangerous Bills receivers. Until Tyrod can show teams he can beat them with his arm, I expect teams to defend the Bills like they do Adrian Peterson with eight or nine guys in the box. If that happens, expect some aerial excitement for once!

I expect Karlos Williams to have a major impact as a change of pace back. Williams runs angry and

Karlo Williams could be a huge factor if the offense is going to succeed. Photo from proplayersinsiders.com

is a downhill runner who has good vision. He makes the pile move if needed and is difficult to bring down. If he’s fully recovered from his ailment last month, he could really make an impact when the Colts are spread out and he takes it up the middle.

So, Bills fans, what do you think we’ll see Sunday? What if the Bills win big? What if they lose small or lose big to a team projected to win the AFC? I haven’t been this excited for an NFL season since Bledsoe was signed. As always leave us a comment here; follow us on Facebook and Twitter @wgoinbuffalo. You can find me on Twitter @jasonsins. You better get that popcorn ready, Buffalo, because it’s ON this season!